Vehicle-axle.



No. 684,652. Patented Oct. I5, I90].

0. L. THOMAS. VEHICLE AXLE.

(Application filed Apr. 19, 1901.}

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT VEHICLE-"AXLE.

$EEGIEIGATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 684,652, dated October 15, 1901. Application filed April 19, 1901. Serial No. 56,582. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES LEE THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Amsterdam, in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Vehicle-Axles; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation of my axle. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail end elevation of the axle, showing the thill coupled thereto.

The invention relates to the front axles of vehicles; and it consists in the novel construction and combinations of devices, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, the letter G designates the axle, which is arched in the vertical plane, the arch at each end extending upward in a short concave bend, as shown at a, from the collar or shoulder 17 of the spindle portion 0. The upper or transverse portion d of the arch is of long elliptical form between the more pronounced or abrupt corner-bends e of the arch, which merge laterally into the oblique straight arms f of the axle, each oblique arm extending to the concave bend a at the root of the spindle, as hereinbefore referred to. The double curvature from the collar of the spindle to the top of the arch is of graceful character, but is made abrupt or pronounced at the corner-bend e in order to give suflicient legroom for the horse when coupled close to the axle. About midway the height of the axle, on the outer side of said oblique arms f, are formed the angular shoulder-lugs 76, having lateral plane faces Z, presenting outward and provided with short cylindrical studs or pins on, extending outward parallel to the spindles 0. These lugs serve for the attachment of the shafts and are placed in this midway position to equalize the strain between the traction and the load. The plane shoulder-faces lhave a D form or half-moon contour usually and are parallel to the planes of the outer faces of the collars b at the inner ends of the spindles. Said studs or pins are entirely within or between the planes of the spindlecollars, being located, as hereinbefore stated, in position about half the height of the arch on the oblique arms f. The ends of the pins m have an integral head '0, or such pins may be threaded to receive suitable securingnuts. The ends of the spindles are also threaded to engage the nuts which secure the wheels in position.

This axle is made of solid steel and is formed with the abrupt arch where its slightly convex or elliptical middle part joins the oblique arms. The middle portion is arched just sufficiently to avoid a fiat appearance, so that it remains quite high, sui'iicient height under it being provided on each side of the center, so that the horse can be coupled close and will not strike the axle with his knees when in action. The curvature of the arch at each side is isometric, or nearly so, from the lower end of the oblique arm to near the middle of the axle.

A'shaft-shackle o is used to connect the shafts with the headed pins or studs m, such shackle havinga fixed jaw 0 and a pivoted jaw 0 a nut 0 engaging pin 0 of the shaft to secure such jaws together around the pin. This shackle is employed as a quick shifter in connection with the integrally-headed pins for the purpose of effecting a disconnection of shaft and pin without necessitating the removal of any nuts or bolts, the nut 0 being unscrewed sufliciently to allow the jaws of the shackle to pass around the shaft-lug, but not sufficiently to be disengaged from the pins.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

A solid high-arched front axle, consisting of the long elliptical transverse portion, the oblique straight arms curved downwardly by ahru pt cornenbends from said transverse portion, and curved outwardly at their lower In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OH ARLES LEE THOMAS.

ends, the spindles and collars thereon, the angularly-otfset shoulders on the middle porlions of said oblique arms and facing outwardly, and the headed shaft-attachment studs projecting from said shoulders and en- Witnesses:

tirely within the planes of the collars of the W. P. BENNETT, spindles, substantially as specified. BURTON FISHER. 

